Declaration on the mask affair: Union parliamentary group sets MPs a deadline

Statement on the mask affair
Union parliamentary group sets MPs a deadline

The Union scandal about the advantages of the mask procurement drives both parties. There is great fear that more cases will come to light. In order to create clarity, the top of the group is now calling for a declaration from all members of the parliament – and setting a deadline.

The head of the Union parliamentary group gave the members of the CDU and CSU in the mask affair a deadline of Friday evening to submit a statement that no benefits were achieved in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. "As members of the German Bundestag, we have a special responsibility for the common good. This is especially true in a crisis like the current corona pandemic. The misconduct of individuals must not cast an entire parliamentary group in a bad light," write parliamentary group leader Ralph Brinkhaus from der CDU and CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt in the mail sent to the parliamentarians, which is available to the German press agency.

The declaration therefore includes, among other things, that in 2020 and 2021, directly or through companies, no financial benefits were or will be achieved from the purchase or sale of medical devices such as protective equipment or from arranging contacts.

The mail is a reaction to the so-called mask affair of the members of parliament Georg Nüßlein (previously CSU) and Nikolas Löbel (previously CDU). The public prosecutor's office is investigating Nüßlein because of the initial suspicion of corruption. Löbel has admitted that his company has received commissions of around 250,000 euros for brokering sales contracts for corona protective masks. The public prosecutor's office checks whether there is sufficient initial suspicion to initiate investigative proceedings.

Both politicians have since left their respective parties. Löbel resigned from the Bundestag with immediate effect. Nüßlein no longer wants to run for the Bundestag in the autumn.

SPD calls for "serious deeds"

Brinkhaus and Dobrindt had announced strict new rules for the Union MPs on Monday. "As a parliamentary group, we will give ourselves a code of conduct that goes well beyond what is legally expected of members of the German Bundestag," they write to the members of the Union. There should also be more transparency for secondary activities and a sharply reduced limit for the obligation to publish donations (currently 10,000 euros).

For the Union, which has not been at the forefront on these issues, the announcements are remarkable – but the SPD and the opposition do not go far enough. "Anyone who announces real clarification and consequences cannot be satisfied with internal guidelines and voluntary commitments," said SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil of the "Rheinische Post". The Union must follow the words of outrage from party and parliamentary groups with serious deeds. SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans had previously called for the government parties' agreement on a lobby register to be improved in the wake of the mask affair.

. (tagsToTranslate) Politics (t) Union faction (t) CDU (t) CSU (t) German Bundestag (t) Corona crisis (t) Pandemics (t) Protective masks (t) Affairs and scandals